Reclining chair with movable headrest

ABSTRACT

A reclining chair with a headrest actuation mechanism in which movement of the backrest of the chair causes extension of the headrest from a retracted position to a head-supporting position. Geometric perimeters are set for the location of the driver lever and actuating link in the headrest actuating mechanism which enable that mechanism to function with improved operation, while, at the same time allowing the chair designer to construct a chair of reduced bulk and more pleasing aesthetics.

United States Patent n 1 Fletcher Nov. 12, 1974 RECLINING CHAIR WITHMOVABLE HEADREST [76] Inventor: Peter S. Fletcher, 200 NW. 15th St.,Delray Beach, Fla. 33444 [22] Filed: Oct. 20, 1972 [2]] Appl. No.:299,251

[52] US. Cl 297/61, 297/112 [51] Int. Cl A47c 1/02 [58] Field of Search297/61, 83, 84, 112, H4, 1 297/410 [56] References Cited UNITED STATESPATENTS 2,947,352 8/1960 vSchliephacke 297/61 3,033,610 5/1962 Fletcher297/61 3,057,657 10/1962 Fletcher 297/61 3,140,117 7/l964 Fletcher....297/61 Primary Examiner--Paul R. Gilliam Assistant ExaminerWilliam E.Lyddane Attorney, Agent, or FirmAmster & Rothstein [57] ABSTRACT Areclining chair with a headrest actuation mechanism in which movementofthe backrest of the chair causes extension of the headrest from aretracted position to a head-supporting position. Geometric perimetersare set for the location of the driver lever and actuating link in theheadrest actuating mechanism which enable that mechanism to functionwith improved operation, while, at the same time allowing the chairdesigner to construct a chair of reduced bulk and more pleasingaesthetics.

9 Claims, 9 Drawing Figures PAIENTEDuuv 12 1914 3L847l430 sum EM 4RECLINING CHAIR WITH MOVABLE I'IEADREST This invention relates generallyto automatically operating reclining chairs and specifically to areclining chair with a headrest which is mounted for movement relativeto the backrest in response to movement of the backrest relative to thestationary frame or base of the chair. The headrest is automaticallyprojected from a position behind the backrest to a head-supportingposition as the chair is reclined from its upright sitting position.

The chair, in accordance with the present invention,

is of the double movement or-three position type of chair which haseither a rigidly interconnected seat and backrest or a seat and backrestwhich operate with pivotal and coordinated movement between them. Suchchairs have a first movement phase in which there is a rearward,translational movement with a slight tilting of the seat and thebackrest during which movement, the legrest of the chair is elevated.This first movement phase moves the chair from its upright sittingposition to its intermediate, tilted sitting position which latterposition has come to be known as the TV position. Such chairs furtherhave a second movement phase characterized by a pivotal action of thebackrest, in which the backrest further inclines. At the end of thesecond movement phase, the chair has reached its fully reclinedposition. The present invention relates to an advantageous means bywhicha headrest may be mounted and actuated in a chair of this type.

In my U.S. Pat. No. 3,140,117, I show the provision.

of a headrest in a chair of the double movement type. In that patent, lemployed a headrest actuating link which was used to actuate theheadrest linkage to push it from its concealed position behind thebackrest to its headsupporting position in response to movement of thebackrest in the first movement phase. The actuating link in that patenthad a center which became coaxial with the pivotal center ofthe'backrest at the end of the first movement phase. During the 1 firstmovement phase, the translation of the backrest was used to push againstthe actuating link so that it could push on the headrest mounting meansto actuate the headrest. However. during the second movement phase,because of the coaxial position of the pivotal center of the actuatinglink and the pivotal center for the backrest movement, no furtheractuation of the headrest occurred during the second movement phase. Bythis structure, the headrest was maintained in its head-supportingposition relative to the backrest during the second movement phase.

The invention described herein is an improvement on the aforementionedpatent. I have, discovered that the pivotal center of the actuating linkdoes not have to be coincident with the pivotal center of the backrestduring the second movement phase and I have developed an alternativestructure which provides some special advantages. Whereas my priorpatent teaches the use of a coaxial arrangement, the invention disclosedherein shows that if certain limitations are maintained, a non-coaxialarrangement provides unexpected benefits without sacrificing any of theadvantages of my prior invention. Specifically, in'accordance with thepresent invention, a structure can be arranged inwhich there isessentially no headrest movement during the Some variation may bedesired for the relative position of the headrest to the backrest duringthe second movement phase. For example, a superior product may beproduced with adjustments inthe headrest position as the backrestprogresses'towards its fully reclined position. This may be desireable,for example, to accomodate changes in gravitational forces of the chairoccupant on the chair upholstery as the attitude of the chair occupantchanges.

As will be described below, a construction in accordance with thepresent invention can be-made in a chair with a fixed seat and backrestor one in which there is relative movement between the seat andbackrest.

In order to accomplish the goals of the present invention, the actuatingpivot of the headrest actuating means must be spaced from the pivotalcenter of rotation of the backrest during the second movement phase andmust be in the general vicinity of a line defined as the P Line. The PLine is a line which passes through the effective center of rotation ofthe backrest during the second movement phase and bisects the angle ofthe rotation of the backrest as determined by specific points located onthe backrest in the TV position and the fully-reclined positionrespectively. The headrest actuating link in a structure in accordancewith the present invention is connected toa driver lever second movementphase or, if desired, a degree of adjustment of the headrest can bedesigned into the chair.

mounted on the backrest which is placed in a position on the backrestwhich is significantly more forward than the position of the driverleverdisclosed in my U.S. Pat. No. 3,140,] l7. The center of rotation ofthis lever on'the backrest is determined by another bisect line. Thissecond bisect line is a perpendicular bisector of a line between theactuating pivot point (the point at which teh actuating link ispivotally connected to the. driver lever), when that point is in the TVposition and the location of that pointprojected onto the backrest inthe TV position with the backrest then moved back through the firstmovement phase to the upright sitting position. Byfollowing thesegeometricperirneters, the

. designer of a reclining chair is able to achieve the results ofessentially no movement or slight adjustable movement as discussed aboveand, advantageously, is also able to construct a headrest actuatingmechanism which is more deeply hidden within the body of the chair. Thisenables the designerto make a smaller chair of more pleasing'aestheticconfiguration while, at the same time, offering improved operation.

The above brief description, as well as further objects, advantages andfeatures of the invention, will be best understood by reference to thefollowing detailed description of one illustrative embodiment of theinvention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawingswherein:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a reclining chair constructed inaccordance with the present invention wherein the chair frame andupholstery is shown in phantom lines and the metal linkage or hardwareis shown in full line configuration;

FIG. 2 is a rear elevational view looking at the reclining chair linkageof FIG. 1 from the righthand side of FIG. 1;

FIGS. 3A, 3B and 3C are partial elevational views of the linkage shownin FIG. l with portions of thelinkage in each of the drawings showninfull line with the remaining portions shown in phantom. Specifically,in FIG. 3A the link assembly which is rigidly connected to the backrestis shown in full line; in FIG. 38, there is shown in full line, theheadrest actuating linkage, the connecting link to the headrest mountingmeans and the portion of the stationary arm rail to which the actuatinglinkage is attached; and in FIG. 3C, there is shown in full lineconfiguration, the links which support the seat and backrest during thefirst movement phase and also the headrest mounting and guiding links;

FIGS. 4A, 4B and 4C are schematic representations of that portion of thechair linkage which coordinates movement of the backrest and headrest.Specifically, FIG. 4A schematically shows the position of the relevantlinks in the upright sitting position of the chair, FIG. 4B is aschematic representation of the position of the relevant links in the TVposition of the chair; and FIG. 4C is a schematic representation of theposition of the relevant links in the fully reclined position of thechair; and 1 FIG. 5 is a geometric diagram which illustrates thegeometric criteria which must be substantially met in order to produce achair in accordance with the present invention.

Now, referring specifically to the drawings, there is shown in FIG. 1 areclining chair generally designated by the numeral which has a base orarm frame 12 which forms a support for the movable members of thechair.The movable members include a bodysupporting unit 14 which is made up ofa seat 16 and backrest 18 and further include the legrest 20 andheadrest 22. In a generally well understood manner, the body-supportingunit 14 is mounted within the arm frame or base 12 by a mechanism in theform of metal hardware which comprises a chair linkage generallydesignated by the numeral 24. There are two pairs of linkages 24, one oneach side of the chair 10 and the linkages comprise a plurality of linkswhich mount the seat 16 and backrest 18 on the arm frame and which, inturn, mount the legrest 20 on the body-supporting unit 14 and theheadrest 22 on the backrest 18.

The details of the functioning of the mechanism mounting thebody-supporting unit and the legrest in this illustrative embodiment areknown in the art and are more fully described in my prior U.S. Pat. No.3,393,007. For purposes of the present disclosure, the following is abrief description of that linkage. An arm plate 26 forms a foundation ofthe linkage 24 and is rigidly secured to the base or arm frame 12. Thebodysupporting unit is mounted by means of a front guide link 28 on itspivotal mount 28a on the arm plate 26 which is, in turn, pivoted to aseat bracket 30 through a seat lever 32. As will be seen, the seatbracket 30 is pivotally connected to the backrest at a seat-backrestpivot 34. The backrest portion of the linkage hardware 24 is, in thisillustrative description, a backrest bracket generally designated by thenumber 36 in which is made from a plurality of rigidlyinterconnected'pieces of metal. Specifially, and as best seen in FIG.3A, there is a long generally boomerang shaped strap 38, a second,smaller boomerang-shaped strap 40 which is attached at its upper andlower ends to the first strap 38 by rivets 42, a seat extension rigidlyattached to the strap 38 with rivets 43 which extends forwardly to andis pivotally connected to the seat 16 at the seat backrest pivot 34. Thestraps 38, 40 are shaped to provide space between them as viewed fromthe front or rear of the chair as may be seen in FIG. 2. The frame ofthe backrest 18 is rigidly secured to the backrest bracket 36 byconventional means such as the bolts 45.

Referring to FIG. 3C, a rear guide link 46 is pivotally mounted on thearm plate 26 at a pivotal mount 46A and is pivotally secured to thebackrest bracket 36, and specifically to the first boomerang shapedstrap 38, at backrest pivot B. During the first movement phase, thebody-supporting unit 14 moves rearwardly and tilts somewhat by thecombined action of the front guide link 28 rotating about its pivotalmount 28A and the rearguide link 46 rotating about its pivotal mount46A. At the same time, the headrest 22 is extended from its retracted toits extended head-supporting position in a manner which will bedescribed in detail below. In addition to this, the legrest 20, by itslegrest mounting linkage 48, is extended to a leg-supporting position.Specifically, the legrest actuating link 50 is pivotally connected tothe arm plate 26 at pivot 50A and is pivoted to the legrest mountinglinkage 48 at the actuating pivot 508. Since the legrest mountinglinkage 48 is of the lazy tong type and is mounted on the seat plate 30,

as the seat plate 30 moves rearwardly in the first move-v ment phase,the actuating link 50 acts to propel the legrest mounting linkage 48forwardly and open it up such that the legrest 20 is moved into itselevated legsupporting position. This arrangement is well known in theart and is shown and described in my prior US. Pat. No. 3,092,416.

It will be appreciated that the seat lever 32 has a sequencing functionin combination with a sequencing pin 52 which is rigidly mounted on thearm plate 26. Specifically, the forward end of the seat lever 32 isengaged under the sequencing pin 52 until the first movement phase hasbeen substantially completed thereby precluding the seatv 16 from movingupwardly until the first movement phase has been completed. When thefirst movement phase has been completed, the front end of the seat lever32 is rearwardly of the sequencing pin 52 and thus the chair may bemoved in its second movement phase. 0

Upon the completion of the first movement phase the rear guide link 46engages the stop 46c and further movement of the backrest 18 constitutespivotal movement around the backrest pivot B. The backrest pivot Bconstitutes a backrest center of rotation for the backrest 18 during thesecond movement phase; in this embodiment, that point is fixed in space,however, in other embodiments, there could be some movement of pivot B,as for example where the stop defining the end of the second movementphase is located at some point in the linkage other than at the backrestline 46, e.g., where the second movement stop is located in the leg restlinkage. The lower end of the backrest bracket 36 is pivotally connectedto a connecting link 53 at pivot 53a which, in turn, is connected to theseat lever 32 at pivot 53b. Since the seat lever 32 has movedrearwardlyrelative to the sequencing pin 52 during the firstmovementphase, the force transmitted from the backrest 18 through theconnecting link 53 causes the seat lever 52 to rotate in a clockwisedirection about the pivot 28b thereby elevating the front of the seat16. The stop 32a on the seat lever 32 and the locating notch 30a on theseat bracket 30 move away from each other during the second movementphase until the stop 32a meets the locating notch 530 on the connectinglink 53 when the chair reaches its fully-reclined position. During thesecond movement phase, but the position of the legrest 20 remainssubstantiallythe same in that actuating link 50 while swinging upwardly,does not impart any significant movement to the legrest mounting linkage48 during that movement phase. Similarly, as will be described below,the headrest mounting and actuating linkage is so arranged and designedthat the headrest 22 undergoes either no movement relative to thebackrest during the second movement phase or only that degree ofmovement desired for adjusting the relationship between the headrest andthe backrest as the combined headrest and backrest is tilted into thefully-reclined position.

Referring now to FIGS. 1, 3B and 3C, description will be made of theheadrest mounting and actuating mechanisms incorporated in a chair inaccordance with the present invention. The headrest 22 is mounted on aheadrest bracket 54 which in turn is mounted on the firstboomerang-shaped strap 38 of the backrest bracket 36 by means of twoheadrest'guide links 56, 58. Specifically, link 56 is pivoted at thelower end of the headrest bracket 54 at pivot 56a and is pivoted to thestrap 38 at pivot 56b. Link 58 is pivoted at the upper end of theheadrest bracket 54 at pivot 58a and is pivoted to the upper end of thestrap 38 at pivot 58b. It will be readily appreciated that links 54, 56and 58 constitute the three movable links of a 4-bar linkage in whichthe backrest 18 and, in particular, the strap 38 is the stationarymember. The linkage as shown in FIGS. 1,

the driver lever 68 is designated in the drawings asthe driver pivot Dand is pivotally connected to the headrest actuation connecting link 64.It will be readily appreciated by studying FIG. 3B and by comparingFIGS. 4A and 43, that during the first movement phase of the chair, therelative movement of the backrestbracket 36 3,140,117, the base pivot Pof the headrest actuating mechanism 66 in the chair 10 s not coincidentwith the center of rotation of the backrest during the second movementphase of the chair. In the aforementioned patent, it was taught that theheadrest actuating mecha- 3B and 3C is inthe stored position of theheadrest 22;

when the links 56, 58 rotate upwardly about pivots 56b and 58b, theheadrest 22 moves rearwardly out of a recess formed in the back of thebackrest l8 and then upwardly into an extended'head-supporting position.This will be best appreciated by comparing FIGS. 4A and 4B. A spring 60is engaged between the pivot 58b and a pin 62 on the lower arm 56 tocounter balance the forces from the weight of the headrest 22 which areat a maximum when the headrest 22 is in the middle of its movement fromits collapsed to its etended position. As will be described in greaterdetail below, the 4-bar linkage mounting the headrest 22 is actuatedthrough a headrest actuation connecting link 64.

Reference should now be made to FIGS. 1 and 3B for a description of apresently preferred embodiment of a headrest actuation mechanism asincorporated within a chair in accordance'with the present invention. Inthe description below of FIG. 5, there will be set forth the theoreticalcriteria which determine the specific construction and limits of designfor such a mechanism. The specific linkage shown in the other figurescan be considere as illustrative-of the concept of the presentinvention; that linkage is a successful, commercially exploitedembodiment of the invention which as been tested by actual full scalecommercial manufacture and sale by the furniture industry and use by thepublic.

The headrest actuating mechanism is generally designated by the numeral66 and is interconnected between the arm plate 26 at itsrigidly-extending bracket 26a and the backrest bracket 36 such that itcan be activated by relative movement between the backrest 18 nism couldbe used effectively if the actuating pivot were arranged to becoincident with the center of rotation of the backrest during the secondmovement phase, thereby producing relative actuation movement onlyduring the first movement phase and no movement at all during the secondmovement phase because of the coincidence of the actuation pivot withthe pivotal center of the backrest. In accordance with the presentinvention, however, and as will be more fully described below, it hasbeen determined that there are other positions in which the actuationpivot can be located during the second phase, producing -little or noheadrest actuation movement or, alternatively and benphase about thebackrest pivot B at the upper end of the rear guide link 46. As will beappreciated, the rear guide link 46 engages a stop 46c on the arm plate26 at the end of the first movement phase effectively making the rearguide link 46 stationary during the second movement phase. Thus,thebackrest l8 and, of course, the backrest bracket 36 pivots about thethen stationary backrest pivot point B during the second movement phase.As can be seen by comparing FIGS. 4A, 4B and 4C, however, the backrestpivot B and the base pivot P for they headrest actuating mechanism 66,are not coincident in the TV position of FIG. 4B or the fully reclinedposition of 4C and.therefore are not in coincident arrangement duringthe second movement phase. In fact, those pivotal points areintentionally selected to be spaced from each other during the secondmovement phase. However, as can 'be appreciated by inspecting FIGS. 4Band 4C, there is little or no movement of the headrest relative to thebackrest during the second movement phase. Incidentally, the linkageshown in FIGS. 4A, 4B and 4C are tilted somewhat in a countercockwisedirection (forwardly) as compared to the true horizontal as shown inFIG. 1; this is done only for convenience in fitting the drawing withinthe standard size while maintaining the same scale throughout all thedrawings.

There follows a discussion of the specific geometric criteria which mustbe met in accordance with the present invention in order that theheadrest actuating mechanism will operate in the desired manner.Specifically, the criteria to be described below permits the headrestactuating mechanism 66 to advance the headrest from its retracted to itsextended head-supporting position during the first movement phase andthen to maintain the headrest in its extended position during the secondmovement phase with or without minor adjustments of the relativeposition of the headrest to the backrest during that second phase. Inthis discussion, reference must be made to FIG. which should beconsidered in conjunction with the drawings previously described.

In FIG. 5 there is a schematic representation of the v geometry of theheadrest actuating mechanism 66 utilized in the reclining chair It). Fororientation purposes, it is seen that there is a rear guide link 46which is mounted at a mounting pivot 46a on the base of the chair androtates from its position in the upright sitting position of the chair,which is shown in solid line, to its TV position, which is shown by adotted line and which is defined by stop 460. At the upper end of therear guide link 46 is the backrest pivot B which is labeled B, for thesetting position and B which is the position of the backrest pivotthroughout the second movement phase of the chair from the uprightsitting position to the fully-reclined position. The phantom linesextending generally upwardly from the points B, and B to the points X Xand X, represent a single arbitrary line drawn on the backrest 18 fromthe pivot B to an arbitrary point X with the position of that line inthe sitting position of the chair, the TV position and the fullyreclined position. The subscripts indicated for the various locations ofthe point X indicated the respective positions, as do the subscriptsused throughout FIG. 5. For example, D, indicates the location of thedriver pivot D in the sitting position of the chair and D indicatcs thelocation of that pivot point when the chair is in the TV position. Onevariation in this code must be pointed out and it relates to thenotations relative to the position of the actuating pivot A. Actuatingpivot A is indicated as A, in the drawings in its location in thesitting position and is indicated by the notation A in the TV position;a third location for A is shown and it is designated as A and thisdesignation has special meaning. It indicates the location of theactuating pivot A when projected onto the backrest when the chair is inits TV position and with the. backrest then moved backwardly through thefirst movement phase to the upright sitting position. In other words,the designation A TM is a true point in space which is defined bylocating a point on the backrest when the backrest is in its TV positionand then moving the backrest and that point into the upright sittingposition of the backrest.

It will be appreciated that the backrest (and, therefore, the line Bdefined by the points B and X on the backrest) rotates around aneffectively fixed center of rotation B through an angle 6 during thesecond movement phase. Any point X on the backrest can follow one andonly one arcuate path during such movement. This are is illustrated asthe are between the points X and X in FIG. 5. If the actuating pivot Ais to produce no movement of the headrest actuating mechanism 66 duringthe second movement phase, then the actuating pivot must move with thebackrest during this phase, describing an are around the backrest pivotB and moving through the angle 6. Therefore, if a point is chosensuitable for the actuating pivot, and its position is determinedrelative to the backrest in the TV position, its location is also knownfor the fully reclined position, i.e., an arc around backrest pivot B istraced through an angle 0 and the location of the point is determined.This angle can also be described as the angle A B A or the angle betweenthe lines A B and 8 A The bisector of this angle is defined for purposesof this disclosure as the P Line and it is a line on the fixed basealong which the base pivot P must be located if there is to be norelative movement of the headrest vis-a-vis the backrest as compared inthe TV position and the fullyreclined position. The pivot P can belocated anywhere along the P Line with some practical limits asdescribed below. The greater the spacing between the base pivot point Pand the backrest pivot B, the greater will be the difference between thepath followed by the actuating pivot A during the second movement phasewhere there is theoretically absolutely no movement (an are around thebackrest pivot B) and the actual path (an are around the base pivot P).In accordance with the present invention, this slight spacing betweenthe two arcs between the points A and A will, in most cases, producelittle or no movement of the headrest during the second movement phase.What is of most significance, however, is not the slight movement whichmay result from the minor spacing between the two arcs, but the factthat the base pivot P in an actual reclining chair can be locatedforwardly of the position of the backrest pivot B during the secondmovement phase and thus forwardly of the position shown in my US. Pat.No. 3,l40,i 17. The consequence of this is, from a practical point ofview, that a reclining chair can be made with a significantly shorterfixed base dimension because I have found that it is not necessary toprovide a base pivot as far rearwardly as had been specified in theabove patent. In this regard, those skilled in the art will realize thatthe backrest pivot B during the second movement phase could be at apoint rearwardly of the actual confines of the chair when the chair isin its upright sitting position since the rear guide link could bearranged, in some instances, to pivot rearwardly of the rearward extendof the arm frame.

The lcoation of the driver lever pivot L depends basically upon theaction desired from the driver lever 68 during the first motion phase.If, for example, fast initial action is desired, the positions of thearms of the driver lever relative to the rest of the linkage willbeadjusted by selection of the location of pivot L. If a large movement ofthe driver pivot D is required, the relative lengths of the driver leverarms are ajdusted. There is a wide latitude in selecting the location ofthe driver lever pivot L but the geometry can be defined exactly bylocating a bisect line which, in this description, is referred to as theL Line.

The'L Line is defined as follows The actuating pivot A moves in an arerelative to the backrest around the driver lever pivot L with the arcpassing through the point A (i.e., the location of pivot A in the TVposition). It will be seen in FIG. 5 that if the point A relative to'the backrest is projected onto the backrest and the backrest is thenmoved back through the first motion phase to its location in the uprightsitting position of the chair, that position in space would be at thepoint defined in FIG. 5 as A Obviously, the portion ofthe driver lever68 between the point A and L must always satisfy the condition that theactuating pivot A can pass through point A' on the backrest (the driverlever 68 is of fixed length and the distance between points A and L mustbe the same, no matter what the location of the driver lever 68).Furthermore, the actuating pivot A in the upright sitting position mustbe on the arc described by the headrest actuating link 70, i.e., it mustbe able to intersect the are A H A (the are labeled Aarc in FIG. 5)about the base pivot P. Therefore, the position of the driver leverpivot L must satisfy the A' point as well as a selected point on the arcA A (this selected point being the position of the actuating pivot atthe sitting position of the chair, i.e., A The result of this is thatthe driver lever pivot L must lie on the perpendicular bisector of theline drawn between A and A This perpendicular bisector is defined as theL Line and the lever pivot must be located on this line.

For any selected position of the point A along the arc A A the lever armAL of the driver lever 68 can be varied by moving the lever pivot L onthe L Line for greater or lesser leverage. Similarly, the position of Amay be selected along the arc A A at the desired location to produce theproper desired acceleration during the first movement phase. Thus, awide range of headrest actuation control is possible within the designcriteria discussed above.

Of course, there are certain design limitations which must be respected.The base pivot P cannot be moved so far forwardly along the P Line thatthe angle P A L is 180 since in that condition there would be no momentlever at all tending to turn the driver lever 68. Obviously, that angleshould be considerably less than 180. Furthermore, the base pivot Pcannot be moved so far forward that it will pull the driver lever 68 inthe opposite directionfrom that intended. It is also obvious that anydesigns in which there is a dead center or inline positions for movingparts should be avoided. Situations in which there are large-differencesin the curvature between two arcs joining the points A and A i.e., theare labeled Aarc" and Bare in FIG. 5, should be avoided in order tominimize movement of the headrest during the second movement phase,except, of course, in thosedesign situations in which such movement isdesired.

Those skilled in the art will understand that in addition tothe widedesign latitude and special advantages noted above, this arrangementprovides still further advantages involved with the possibility ofadjustment of position of the headrest during the second movement phase.The base pivot P can be located somewhat off the P Line but in thevicinity of it in an amount which will provide that degree of adjustmentas is required. Such adjustment may be desirable because of the relativedifference of the attitude of the body in the TV position as comparedwith the fully-reclined position. For example, in the TV position, thebody remains relatively upright whereas in the fully-reclined position,the body is much closer to horizontal and therefore the gravitationaleffect on the head pressing against the headrest is much more extreme.This might well cause a compression of the headrest upholstery so thatthe head actually is lower than desired. To correct for this, thedesigner may, with certain upholstery materials, de sire that theheadrest be raised slightly relative to the backrest when the seat ismoved to its fully-reclined position. In other instances the effectmight be the opposite and the increased force might be felt on thebackrest rather than on the headrest. The present system allows for theappropriate adjustment.

In general, the invention provides an overall geometry of greatflexibility for the design of headrest actuation control, making itextremely desirable fo the purposes of compact size and ease anddependatility of operation while, at the same time, providing awidedegree of design flexibility for an automatic headrest movementcontrol in a double movement type of reclining chair.

The above description shows only one illustrative embodiment of thepresent invention and presents a single illustrative geometricdescription of the design criteria of a chair in accordance with thepresent invention. Obviously, a wide variety of other embodimentsincorporating the teachings of the invention can be utilized by thoseskilled in the art.

What is claimed is:

l. A reclining chair of the multiple movement type having a base, and abody supporting 'means including a seat and a backrest, body-supportingmounting mechanisms mounting said backrest on said base for movement ina first movement phase from an upright sitting position to anintermediate, tilted sitting position and for further movement in asecond movement phase from said intermediate tilting seated position toa fullyreclined position with said backrest moving rearwardly duringsaid first movement phase and turning about a backrest center ofrotation during said second movement phase, a legrest, and a legrestguiding mechanism mounting said legrest on said body-supporting meansfor movement from a retracted position to an extended, leg-supportingposition in response to movement of said body-supporting means duringsaid first movement phase;

a headrest mounted on said backrest for movement between a loweredposition and a raised headsupporting position inresponse to movement ofsaid body-supporting means during the said first movement phase;

headrest mounting and guiding means mounting said headrest on saidbackrest and headrest; and

headrest actuating means effectively interconnected between saidbackrest, said support and said headrest mounting and guiding means foractuating and control movement of said headrest, said actuating meanscomprising:

a. a driver lever pivotally mounted on said backrest at a driver leverpivot;

b. an actuating link pivotally connected at one of its ends to said baseat a base pivot and at its other end to said driver lever at anactuating pivot;

c. a connecting link pivotally connected at its lower end to said driverlever at a driver pivot and operatively connected at its upper end tosaid :headrest mounting and guiding means;

d. said base pivot of said actuating link being spaced from saidbackrest center of rotation and located on a line which bisects theangle included between a first line between the location of theactuating pivot when the chair is in the intermediate tilted sittingposition and the backrest pivot and a second line between the backrestpivot and the location of the actuating pivot when the chair is in thefully-reclined position; said bisected angle being equal to the angle ofrotation of said backrest about said backrest pivot during said secondmovement phase;

e. the location of the driver lever pivot of the driver lever beingalong a line which is the perpendicular bisector of a line drawn betweenthe location of the actuating pivot in the upright sitting position andthe location of the actuating pivot projected onto the backrest whensaid actuating pivot is in the intermediate tilted sitting position andwith said backrest thereafter translated into its position when in theupright sitting position.

2. A reclining chair of the multiple movement type having a support, abody-supporting means including a seat and backrest and a guidingmechanism mounting said seat and backrest within said support for motionin a first movement phase from an upright sitting position to anintermediate, tilted sitting position and for further motion in a secondmovement phase from said intermediate, tilted sitting position to afully reclined position, said backrest turning about a backrest centerof rotation during said second movement phase; a headrest mounted onsaid backrest for movement between an inactive position andan active,head-supporting position in response to movement of said seat andbackrest relative to said support; mounting and guiding means mountingsaid headrest on said backrest and guiding same for said movement;actuating means effectively interconnected between said support, saidbodysupporting means ,and said headrest mounting and guiding means foractuating said headrest movement;

. said headrest actuating means comprising:

a. a driver lever pivotally mounted on said bodysupporting means at adriver lever pivot, an actuating link pivotally interconnected betweensaid driver lever at an actuating pivot and said support at a basepivot, and a connecting link operatively interconnected between saiddriver lever at a driver pivot and said headrest mounting and guidingmeans;

b. the axis of said base pivot being located at a point spaced from theaxis of said backrest center of rotation and which is positioned toeffectively maintain said headrest relative to said backrest in aneffective position to support the head of a chair occupant during saidsecond movement phase and in said fully reclined position.

3. in a reclining chair in accordance with claim 2, the location of saidbase pivot being spaced toward the front of the chair relative to thecenter of rotation of said backrest and being selected to producerelatively minor movement of said headrest with respect to said backrestduring said second movement phase for adjusting the relative position ofsaid headrest to said backrest to accommodate the changes of position ofthe chair occupant during said second movement phase.

4. In a reclining chair in accordance with claim 3, the location of saidbase pivot being adjacent but spaced from a line defined as the P Linewhich bisects the angle between a first line between the location of theactuating pivot when the chair is in the intermediate tilted sittingposition and the center of rotation of the backrest and a second linebetween the center of rotation of the backrest and the location of theactuating pivot when the chair is in the fully reclined position.

5. In a reclining chair having a seat and backrest mounted within an armframe by a mounting and guiding linkage for movement from an uprightposition to a tilted position, a headrest mounting means mounting saidheadrest on said backrest for movement from a retracted position to anextended position and a headrest actuating mechanism operable inresponse to said movement of said seat and backrest to actuate saidmovement of said headrest, said headrest actuating mechanism includingan actuating link pivoted to said arm frame at a base pivot andextending generally in line with the direction of said movement of saidseat and backrest, a driver lever being pivotally mounted on saidbackrest and having two arms, a first arm being generally perpendicularto the direction of said actuating link, a connecting link pivotallyconencted at its lower end to the second arm of said driver lever andpivotally connected at its upper end to said headrest mounting means,said second arm of said driver lever and said connecting link beinggenerally perpendicular to each other.

6. A reclining chair in accordance with claim 5 wherein said driverlever is located forwardly of said actuating link.

7. A reclining chair in accordance with claim 6 wherein the two arms ofsaid driver lever are generally perpendicular and the pivotal mount ofsaid driver lever on said backrest is at the intersection of said twoarms.

8. A reclining chair of the multiple movement type having a base, and abody-supporting means including a seat and a backrest, body-supportingmounting mechanisms mounting said backrest on said base for movement ina first movement phase from an upright sitting position to anintermediate, tilted sitting position and for further movement in asecond movement phase from said intermediate tilting seated position toa fullyreclined position with said backrest moving rearwardly duringsaid first movement phase and turning about a backrest center ofrotation during said second movement phase, a legrest, and alegrestguiding mechanism mounting said legrest on said body-supporting meansfor movement from a retracted position to an extended, legsupportingposition in response to movement of said body-supporting means duringsaid first movement phase;

a headrest mounted on said backrest for movement between a loweredposition and a raised headsupporting position in response to movement ofsaid body-supporting means during said first movement phase; headrestmounting and guiding means mounting said headrest on said backrest andheadrest; and headrest actuating means effectively interconnectedbetween said backrest, said base and said headrest mounting and guidingmeans for actuating and control movement of said headrest, saidactuating means comprising: a. a driver lever pivotally mounted on saidbackrest at a driver lever pivot; v b. an actuating link pivotallyconnected at one of its ends to said base at a base pivot and at itsother end to said driver lever at an actuating pivot;

c. a connecting link pivotally connected at its lower end to said driverlever at a driver pivot and operatively connected at its upper end tosaid headrest mounting and guiding means; I

d. said base pivot. of said actuating link being spaced from saidbackrest center of rotation and located adjacent a line which bisectsthe angle included between a first line between the location of theactuating pivot when the chair is in the intermediate tilted sittingposition and the backrest pivot and a second line between the backrestpivot and the location of the actuating pivot when the chair is in thefully-reclined position; said bisected angle being equal to the angle ofrotation of said backrest about said backrest pivot during said secondmovement phase;

e. the location of the driver lever pivot of the driver lever beingsubstantially along a line which is the perpendicular bisector of a linedrawn between the location of the actuating pivot in the upright sittingposition and the location of the actuating pivot projected onto thebackrest when said actuating pivot is in the intermediate tilted sittingposition and with said backrest thereafter translated into its positionwhen in the upright sitting position.

9. A reclining chair having body supporting means including a backrestmovable in a first motion phase from an upright position to a firsttilted position and in a second motion phase from said tilted positionto a fully reclined position, the motion from said upright position tothe tilted position being different from the motion from said tiltedposition to said fully reclined position, a headrest mounted on saidbackrest for movean actuating link pivotally connected at one of itsends to said base at a base pivot and at its other end to said driverlever at an actuating pivot, a connecting link pivotally connected atits lower end to said driver lever at a driver pivot'arid operativelyconnected at its upper end to said headrest mounting and guiding means,the base pivot of said actuating link being spaced from the pivotalcenter of rotation of said backrest druing the second motion phase ofsaid backrest and located substantially on the line which bisects theangle of rotation of said backrest as it moves from said tilted positionto said fully reclined position, said angle being defined by thepositions of said actuating pivot in said tilted position and in saidfullyreclined position respectively and the pivotal center of rotationof said backrest during said second movement phase,said actuating meansactuating the headrest during the first movement phase and holding theheadrest substantially in the operative head supporting position duringsaid second movement phase.

1. A reclining chair of the multiple movement type having a base, and abody supporting means including a seat and a backrest, body-supportingmounting mechanisms mounting said backrest on said base for movement ina first movement phase from an upright sitting position to anintermediate, tilted sitting position and for further movement in asecond movement phase from said intermediate tilting seated position toa fully-reclined position with said backrest moving rearwardly duringsaid first movement phase and turning about a backrest center ofrotation during said second movement phase, a legrest, and a legrestguiding mechanism mounting said legrest on said body-supporting meansfor movement from a retracted position to an extended, legsupportingposition in response to movement of said bodysupporting means duringsaid first movement phase; a headrest mounted on said backrest formovement between a lowered position and a raised head-supportingposition in response to movement of said body-supporting means duringthe said first movement phase; headrest mounting and guiding meansmounting said headrest on said backrest and headrest; and headrestactuating means effectively interconnected between said backrest, saidsupport and said headrest mounting and guiding means for actuating andcontrol movement of said headrest, said actuating means comprising: a. adriver lever pivotally mounted on said backrest at a driver lever pivot;b. an actuating link pivotally connected at one of its ends to said baseat a base pivot and at its other end to said driver lever at anactuating pivot; c. a connecting link pivotally connected at its lowerend to said driver lever at a driver pivot and operatively connected atits upper end to said headrest mounting and guiding means; d. said basepivot of said actuating link being spaced from said backrest center ofrotation and located on a line which bisects the angle included betweena first line between the location of the actuating pivot when the chairis in the intermediate tilted sitting position and the backrest pivotand a second line between the backrest pivot and the location of theactuating pivot when the chair is in the fully-reclined position; saidbisected angle being equal to the angle of rotation of said backrestabout said backrest pivot during said second movement phase; e. thelocation of the driver lever pivot of the driver lever being along aline which is the perpendicular bisector of a line drawn between thelocation of the actuating pivot in the upright sitting position and thelocation of the actuating pivot projected onto the backrest when saidactuating pivot is in the intermediate tilted sitting position and withsaid backrest thereafter translated into its position when in theupright sitting position.
 2. A reclining chair of the multiple movementtype having a support, a body-supporting means including a seat andbackrest and a guiding mechanism mounting said seat and backrest withinsaid support for motion in a first movement phase from an uprightsitting position to an intermediate, tilted sitting position and forfurther motion in a second movement phase from said intermediate, tiltedsitting position to a fully reclined position, said backrest turningabout a backrest center of rotation during said second movement phase; aheadrest mounted on said backrest for movement between an inactiveposition and an active, head-supporting position in response to movementof said seat and backrest relative to said support; mounting and guidingmeans mounting said headrest on said backrest and guiding same for saidmovement; actuating means effectively interconnected between saidsupport, said body-supporting means and said headrest mounting andguiding means for actuating said headrest movement; said headrestactuating means comprising: a. a driver lever pivotally mounted on saidbody-supporting means at a driver lever pivot, an actuating linkpivotally interconnected between said driver lever at an actuating pivotand said support at a base pivot, and a connecting link operativelyinterconnected between said driver lever at a driver pivot and saidheadrest mounting and guiding means; b. the axis of said base pivotbeing located at a point spaced from the axis of said backrest center ofrotation and which is positioned to effectively maintain said headrestrelative to said backrest in an effective position to support the headof a chair occupant during said second movement phase and in said fullyreclined position.
 3. In a reclining chair in accordance with claim 2,the location of said base pivot being spaced toward the front of thechair relative to the center of rotation of said backrest and beingselected to produce relatively minor movement of said headrest withrespect to said backrest during said second movement phase for adjustingthe relative position of said headrest to said backrest to accommodatethe changes of position of the chair occupant during said secondmovement phase.
 4. In a reclining chair in accordance with claim 3, thelocation of said base pivot being adjacent but spaced from a linedefined as the P Line which bisects the angle between a first linebetween the location of the actuating pivot when the chair is in theintermediate tilted sitting position and the center of rotation of thebackrest and a second Line between the center of rotation of thebackrest and the location of the actuating pivot when the chair is inthe fully reclined position.
 5. In a reclining chair having a seat andbackrest mounted within an arm frame by a mounting and guiding linkagefor movement from an upright position to a tilted position, a headrestmounting means mounting said headrest on said backrest for movement froma retracted position to an extended position and a headrest actuatingmechanism operable in response to said movement of said seat andbackrest to actuate said movement of said headrest, said headrestactuating mechanism including an actuating link pivoted to said armframe at a base pivot and extending generally in line with the directionof said movement of said seat and backrest, a driver lever beingpivotally mounted on said backrest and having two arms, a first armbeing generally perpendicular to the direction of said actuating link, aconnecting link pivotally conencted at its lower end to the second armof said driver lever and pivotally connected at its upper end to saidheadrest mounting means, said second arm of said driver lever and saidconnecting link being generally perpendicular to each other.
 6. Areclining chair in accordance with claim 5 wherein said driver lever islocated forwardly of said actuating link.
 7. A reclining chair inaccordance with claim 6 wherein the two arms of said driver lever aregenerally perpendicular and the pivotal mount of said driver lever onsaid backrest is at the intersection of said two arms.
 8. A recliningchair of the multiple movement type having a base, and a body-supportingmeans including a seat and a backrest, body-supporting mountingmechanisms mounting said backrest on said base for movement in a firstmovement phase from an upright sitting position to an intermediate,tilted sitting position and for further movement in a second movementphase from said intermediate tilting seated position to a fully-reclinedposition with said backrest moving rearwardly during said first movementphase and turning about a backrest center of rotation during said secondmovement phase, a legrest, and a legrest guiding mechanism mounting saidlegrest on said body-supporting means for movement from a retractedposition to an extended, legsupporting position in response to movementof said body-supporting means during said first movement phase; aheadrest mounted on said backrest for movement between a loweredposition and a raised head-supporting position in response to movementof said body-supporting means during said first movement phase; headrestmounting and guiding means mounting said headrest on said backrest andheadrest; and headrest actuating means effectively interconnectedbetween said backrest, said base and said headrest mounting and guidingmeans for actuating and control movement of said headrest, saidactuating means comprising: a. a driver lever pivotally mounted on saidbackrest at a driver lever pivot; b. an actuating link pivotallyconnected at one of its ends to said base at a base pivot and at itsother end to said driver lever at an actuating pivot; c. a connectinglink pivotally connected at its lower end to said driver lever at adriver pivot and operatively connected at its upper end to said headrestmounting and guiding means; d. said base pivot of said actuating linkbeing spaced from said backrest center of rotation and located adjacenta line which bisects the angle included between a first line between thelocation of the actuating pivot when the chair is in the intermediatetilted sitting position and the backrest pivot and a second line betweenthe backrest pivot and the location of the actuating pivot when thechair is in the fully-reclined position; said bisected angle being equalto the angle of rotation of said backrest about said backrest pivotduring said second movement phase; e. the location of the driver leverpivot of the driver lever being substantialLy along a line which is theperpendicular bisector of a line drawn between the location of theactuating pivot in the upright sitting position and the location of theactuating pivot projected onto the backrest when said actuating pivot isin the intermediate tilted sitting position and with said backrestthereafter translated into its position when in the upright sittingposition.
 9. A reclining chair having body supporting means including abackrest movable in a first motion phase from an upright position to afirst tilted position and in a second motion phase from said tiltedposition to a fully reclined position, the motion from said uprightposition to the tilted position being different from the motion fromsaid tilted position to said fully reclined position, a headrest mountedon said backrest for movement between a lowered position and a raisedhead supporting position in response to movement of said back from saidupright position to said tilting position, headrest mounting and guidingmeans mounting said headrest on said backrest, headrest actuating meanseffectively interconnected between said backrest and said support andsaid mounting and guiding means for actuating and controlling themovement of said headrest in coordination with the movement of saidbackrest, said actuating means comprising a driver lever pivotallymounted on said backrest at a driver lever pivot, an actuating linkpivotally connected at one of its ends to said base at a base pivot andat its other end to said driver lever at an actuating pivot, aconnecting link pivotally connected at its lower end to said driverlever at a driver pivot and operatively connected at its upper end tosaid headrest mounting and guiding means, the base pivot of saidactuating link being spaced from the pivotal center of rotation of saidbackrest druing the second motion phase of said backrest and locatedsubstantially on the line which bisects the angle of rotation of saidbackrest as it moves from said tilted position to said fully reclinedposition, said angle being defined by the positions of said actuatingpivot in said tilted position and in said fully reclined positionrespectively and the pivotal center of rotation of said backrest duringsaid second movement phase, said actuating means actuating the headrestduring the first movement phase and holding the headrest substantiallyin the operative head supporting position during said second movementphase.